Never speak first

This is from IYE at Unherdables and is interesting advice for the phone: "“The 3 second silent call: why you should never speak first.”

It's American and might apply only there but maybe it applies in general ... video, then I've some thoughts on't.

Whether you buy that that's how they operate or not, it's not bad advice in general and along with today's hackers and censors, a cautious approach to any communication, even emails, net search or VPN, surely seems wise, esp. if you're sitting on a nestegg accumulated over time.

In my case, last evening came changed banking terms and conditions ... if I agree, I can still use online banking. At the same time, Apple are trying to get my financial and other details and are hammering me to take this intrusive update.  They're all at this constant, inexorable, ratcheting encroachment on privacy.

For a start, I do not use landline, though I still have one in case there's some technical verification demand down the track. I have no smartphone, just a dumbphone, no data, hardly use the phone, though it's on, except when on a long task or project.  That messes them up something awful.

I never answer anyway, unless the person is in my address book.I take no callbacks. Major institutions though whom I've given it to can text me, anyone else is blocked. I use no voicemail or answering service.  With texts, I usually phone back ... but never take phoneback from them.

Turning to online things and our devices ... if any panel appears with no way out, no x in the corner, I exit or if it freezes the exit, just shut down. I generally keep the downstairs buzzer off ... those I wish to speak to have my number.

Looking at that "x in the corner" thing, I just exit a different way and swap ipads ... never click on it, no matter what. The exception is cookies, then every so often ... clear all cookies. The golden rule is: "If they want you to do something ... don't do it, however attractive it might seem"

There's something I posted on X recently, picked up by a few people: "Being pushed into doing things we do not wish to, in fact being rushed into it, sign here, is not on my list of "to dos", no way, Jose. Cattle herding us ... I automatically go the other way, even if it's to my advantage to comply."

Naturally, it comes down to temperament and long, bitter experience. As a child on a bike, I avoided places the other kids and trusted adults warned of ... it's still the same way.

Hoping this was of some value to readers today.